Without A Trace
by neopyro
Summary: Harry Potter leaves Privet drive on a search for power. Hopefully, enough power to defeat Voldemort.
1. Chapter 1

**Without a Trace**

'They expect things from me that I can't deliver.' Harry thought as he lay in his bed. 'They seem to think that I have some amazing power that can drive Voldemort from this world. But they're wrong. They're all wrong. The only thing I have going for me is a seemingly endless streak of luck.'

Harry had been brooding like this for the two weeks he'd been at number four Privet drive. Every day his thoughts swung a little darker. His confidence in his abilities had been shattered.

'I'm just too weak.' He thought. 'I'm not very good in my classes, I don't have superior magic powers, I don't really have particular skill at anything. Just Quidditch. But Quidditch doesn't kill dark wizards.'

Harry glared at the light bulb in his room. It had burned out three days ago, and he hadn't been bothered to fix it. He actually liked the dark better. A ghost of his old confidence popped into his mind for a moment and interjected something. Something that could change his life forever.

'But what if I could get stronger? What if I could go out and find this power that could kill Voldemort? What if I get the training I need?' His confidence interjected. The rest of his mind loved this train of thought and latched on to it.

'Yes! We could leave. Leave England and go all the way to the other side of the world. Far away. Away from Voldemort where I could train in peace. After all, England isn't the only place on the planet that has Wizards.'

Harry smiled for the first time in what seemed like months. Harry sat up in his bed for the first time in hours and slipped on his shoes. He always kept an emergency 50 pound note in his trunk for if he ever needed something from the Muggle world. He opened his trunk and fished it out and stuffed it into his pocket. He opened his bedroom door, his eyes hurting from brightness of the light and headed downstairs. Harry walked out the front door without anyone noticing him and headed off in the direction of the local library.

The Surrey library wasn't exactly state-of-the-art. It wasn't exactly shabby either. It was your average, run-of-the-mill library. A dozen computers, and lots of shelves with books on them.

Harry looked at his watch. It was 11:35AM. The library didn't close until 7. That gave him ample time to do his research. Harry suspected that if he found what he was looking for today, he would be able to leave by no later than tomorrow night.

The automatic doors to the Library slid open for him, and he was hit by a wave of air conditioning. One of the librarians had apparently set the thermostat to "arctic ice storm." Harry shivered slightly and walked up to the information desk.

"Excuse me?" he asked the lady at the counter. "How would one go about getting a library card?"

The lady looked up from her magazine, and handed him a blue sheet of paper and a pen, before turning back to the magazine.

"Thanks." Harry said, as he filled out the form.

A few minutes Harry handed the form back. The lady read the form, typed a few things into her computer and the printer whirred. She handed him a laminated card with the name of the library and his name on it.

Harry smiled and walked off to the computers.

'Piece of cake.' he thought.

Seven hours later, Harry left the library, his head brimming with knowledge.

'I need to write the order tonight. Just to keep them from checking in on me too soon.' Harry thought.

Harry strolled back into his Aunt and Uncle's house and walked back to his room. Again, he didn't meet either of his family members. Harry sat down at his desk and wrote a quick note to the order.

_Mad-eye_

_Just checking in. Everything is just fine._

_Harry_

He sent the note off using Hedwig and collapsed into his bed. He just barely had the presence of mind to set his alarm clock before going to bed.

At 5:15, Harry's alarm rang. Harry turned it off before anyone else heard it. Harry rubbed his eyes, changed his clothes and started preparing everything he would need.

First, Harry found the old backpack he used to take to school before he went to Hogwarts. Harry stuffed a few outfits of clothing into the bag and started rummaging through his trunk for things he would need.

All he took was his Firebolt, Sirius's knife, his money, his Gringotts key and his Invisibility cloak. The rest he left in his trunk.

Harry donned his invisibility cloak and crept downstairs into the kitchen. Harry made a few sandwiches, grabbed some snacks from the cabinets and stuffed them into his bag. Harry left the kitchen without a sound and left Privet drive by the early morning light.

He never thought he would come back.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n: I forgot a few things that Harry brought with him. Just bear with me if something he didn't bring pops u later. I'll get around to fixing the first chapter eventually.**

**Without a Trace**

Chapter Two

Harry's invisibility cloak was wrapped tightly around him as he flew across the countryside on his Firebolt. He was making great time, and London's skyline was already visible in the distance. Soon Harry deemed it wasn't safe to fly, and landed at a nearby railway station. He wrapped his Firebolt in his invisibility cloak and bought a ticket into London. It was early on a Sunday morning, and the train was relatively unpopulated. It took an hour to get to the stop nearest to Diagon Alley.

Half an hour later, Harry was in front of the Leaky Cauldron. Not wanting to be seen by a witch or wizard that knew him, Harry stepped into a nearby alley and put his invisibility cloak back on. Harry waited for someone to walk into the pub and slipped through the door behind them. Harry repeated the process when someone walked into the back room, and followed them into Diagon Alley.

Apparently not very many people go to Diagon Alley on Sunday mornings, and Harry decreed it safe to take off his cloak and stuff it in his bag. Harry had some shopping to do if he was ever going to leave the country. Harry's first stop was Gringotts. After two wild cart rides, Harry's money bag was stuffed full of Galleons. To most, Harry's purchases would have seemed random. He bought an industrial strength collapsible casting pot, a dark arts book from knockturn alley, A book on advanced transfiguration and charms, a book titled "wizarding schools around the world", a book titled "the most powerful wizards of today", a few maps, a broom carrying case that shrunk the broom and the bag once inside it, a new backpack with an enlargement charm on it, and a few oddly shaped unbreakable dishes.

Harry returned to Gringotts, and deposited all his knuts and sickles. He withdrew about another 250 galleons and left Diagon alley. Harry stuffed all his new possessions in his new bag and threw out the old Muggle backpack. Harry placed his broom in his backpack as well. Harry walked off in a random direction and searched for a phone book.

Conveniently enough, Harry found one, inside a phone booth too. Harry looked up a few numbers and addresses, before closing the book again. Now it was time for the hard part. He needed to find someplace where there was absolutely no chance of getting seen.

'Well, it's either a motel room or a sewer.' Harry thought.

Harry decided on the motel and found a sleazy little roach coach a few miles away and booked a room for the night. It cost him 35 pounds, leaving him only 15, but it was a worthwhile trade. Harry if things worked the way he planned, Harry would have enough money to not worry about hunger, lodging or anything else while he was away.

Harry got his key from the front desk and walked up to his room. Room #11. Once inside, Harry pushed a few large pieces of furniture against the door. When he was satisfied, he got to work. Harry brought out the casting kit he bought and turned it on. He heated the casting pot up to 1063 degrees Celsius and dropped a few galleons into the pot. The galleons melted down, and Harry poured the liquid into the various odd dishes he had. He was happiest with the devil egg tray, and made dozens of half egg shaped gold ingots. Harry melted and melted until he was down to 25 galleons, that he didn't melt. He saved those, in case he needed something from the wizarding world in his travels. Harry deduced that he had roughly 10 pounds of gold.

While his dishes of gold cooled, Harry decided to make a call. He dialed the first number on his list with the room phone and waited.

"Hello?" The voice on the other side of the line asked.

"Hi." Harry replied. "I hear that you are a collector of gold?"

"Yes I am. Do you have a proposition for me."

"I do. Is there any chance we could meet today at some point? I'm anxious to get rid of these."

"I do not buy stolen goods!" The man on the other line yelled.

"These are not stolen. They are not borrowed, or illegal in any way. My…acquaintance struck gold. He doesn't want to draw attention to himself while he uncovers it. He melts it down, I sell it. If you aren't interested there are many other collectors in London that would leap at the chance to get ten pounds of gold.

The man on the other side was silent for a moment. "Ten pounds you say?"

"Yes. I will sell it to you for less than market price. How does 25,000 pounds sound?" Harry asked.

Harry could practically hear the man doing calculations in his head. "I could sell that tomorrow and make a seven thousand pound profit. Why don't you hold out?"

"My acquaintance is gaining a 25,000 pound profit. It's good to have happy customers." Harry responded.

"I'd be a fool not to. Where do you want to meet?" The man asked.

"How does your front door sound?" Harry suggested

"Excuse me?"

"I am currently standing at a phone roughly two blocks from your house. I got the address from the phone book." Harry clarified.

"I… Give me five minutes. I'll go open my safe." The man on the other line hung up.

Harry packed up all of his possessions and abandoned his room. He walked to the man's house three blocks away and reached it in almost exactly the five minutes allotted. Harry displayed to him the pieces of gold, the man showed Harry the money. The trade was made, and both men went their separate ways. Harry hid the money in a hidden pocket of his backpack, and took the next train to London Heathrow airport.

The trip to London airport was a long one, seeing as it was all the way at the end of the track. It took roughly an hour. Harry got into the airport and looked down at his watch. It was 12:34. He chuckled at the time and walked off to the British airways counter to book a ticket.

He waited in the line for a moment. It was a very short line. He smiled at the clerk when he reached the desk. "Hi, I'm Harry Potter. I have a reservation for the 2:05 pm flight to New York."

Harry could just feel the freedom coming to him. Some of the most powerful wizards of the age live in America, and he was quite sure that one of them would be willing to help.


End file.
